Love is Only A Wish Away
by sakuraharuno1508
Summary: One day Sakura meets the Spirit of Love. The spirit says that she'll grant Sakura one wish on one condition. Sasuke has to say that he loves her out of true love.....IN A WEEK! Or else she'll become a spirit forever........
1. The Wish

"Even though Shika-kun is a lazy, pineapple head ninja, I'll always love him!! He can be romantic when he wants to be!" Ino said, sighing in satisfaction.

"Well Neji has his moments too. He's so handsome! Did you know that he actually has a sensitive side?" TenTen boasted, while smiling proudly.

"W-well Naruto-kun is kind and has his wonderful personality. He's carefree and strong. That's why he's the Hokage." Hinata smiled.

"That's great that you all have your dream guy." Sakura said. She lowered her eyes so they were cast into a shadow. _Sasuke-kun…._ He was gone. Sasuke was reported to have killed Orochimaru and was still searching for Itachi._ Sasuke-kun…._ He was her only true love. How could she forget him? Her first crush?

"Sakura-chan…" Ino said. She knew what her best friend was thinking of. Sasuke Uchiha. Yes, Ino had a crush on him first. Yet at the Chunnin Exams she had fallen out of that crush. Why? One simple scene could change your whole love life. When Ino decided to protect her friend against the sound ninjas and saw Sasuke transform, she was terrified. She couldn't believe it. But then she saw how Sakura wasn't scared of the mark. Ino came to a realization. She didn't truly love Sasuke like Sakura did. Then, she started going out with Shikamaru. She soon fell in love.

"S-Sakura-chan, if you like we could hook you up with someone." Hinata said, twiddling her fingers.

Sakura shook her head. "No, Hinata-chan. I'll wait for him. And if I have my chance I'll bring him back." Her friends knew what HIM meant. They didn't use the word Sasuke anymore because if they did it meant Sakura would go into a gloomy depression.

"But Sakura-chan there are a lot of fine guys out there! Maybe you're heart will-" Ino couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"I don't think my heart will fall in love again." Sakura finished for Ino. She looked at her friends sadly. Hey, if her friends were happy then she shouldn't destroy their happiness just because of her own unhappiness.

"COME ON!! WE'LL GO THROUGH THE CITY AND SEE HOW MANY GUYS FLIRT WITH YOU!!!" Ino yelled.

"…."

Sakura ran as fast as she could out of the restaurant. TenTen and Hinata sweat dropped. Ino had a vein pop and ran after Sakura. Sakura ran blindly, not knowing where her destination would be. She stopped for a few minutes before she saw Shikamaru.

"What's up, Sakura?" Shikamaru asked.

"QUICK STAND RIGHT HERE!!!!" Sakura pushed Shikamaru where Ino would soon come. Then, she jogged off.

"What was that all about? Troublesome women." Shikamaru complained.

"WHERE'S SAKURA????" Ino screamed, just at that moment seeing Shikamaru.

She latched onto him, putting her arms around his neck. "Shika-kun!!" Ino said, giddily.

Shikamaru had no idea what happened but he wasn't complaining.

---***---

Sakura surveyed her surroundings. Good, Ino turned her attention to Shikamaru. She was safe from Ino….for now. Why didn't she move on? Why didn't she settle with another guy that would really love her and not betray her? Sasuke was her number one person she couldn't move on because **HE** would always be her number one.

It was getting dark. The full moon already rising into the dark blue sky. Sakura sighed. She slowly made her way to her apartment. Everything around her was quiet. It was familiar. It was like….how **he** left. That day haunted her for the rest of her life. She put the key into the keyhole in her door and heard the metallic click. She took the key out of the hole and turned the knob. The room was dark. Sakura went to her room.

She pushed a window open to see the brilliance of the full moon. She was always enchanted with it. She gazed around her room, her eyes landing on the picture of team 7. She took it from the night table and stared at it intently. Sakura grew tired from standing and sat down on her bed.

_Sasuke-kun….._

Tears fell down. She willed herself not to cry but couldn't. She declared her love for him and yet he still left the village. She had been so weak at that time. But now she vowed to be stronger. So she can protect all the ones she loved from the bottom of her heart.

"Sakura…." Sakura heard a female voice somewhere in her room. She grabbed her kunai out of her pouch expertly and steadied it in her hand.

"Put down your weapon, child. I won't harm you." The female voice said. It sounded strong and firm yet gentle at the same time. A ghostly woman appeared in front of her floating in midair. She was beautiful. But ghosts AREN'T real!!!!

"I am the spirit of love." The ghostly woman said.

"Yeah, and I'm Akatsuki's maid." Sakura said, eyes studying the stranger in her room.

"I can prove it." The woman said, while thinking, _WHY DOESN'T ANYYBODY BELIEVE ME?_

"Who is TenTen's, Hinata's, and Ino's boyfriends?" Sakura asked.

"Neji Hyuuga. Naruto Uzumaki. Shikamaru Nara." The woman stated tiredly.

Sakura dropped her kunai. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Well, everyone deserves love like someone as beautiful as you. So I'm here to grant any wish you desire." The love spirit said.

"Uh….I wish that Orochimaru never existed and the Uchiha clan massacre never happened." Sakura said, thoughtfully. "But I doubt that would happen." Sakura added sorrowfully.

"Have faith. It will happen because I approve of this wish." The beautiful woman replied.

"Uh….ok."

"But if Sasuke doesn't say that he loves you out of true love in a week then you'll become a spirit like me." The woman warned.

"But will the wish still be active? Will Sasuke-kun still be happy?' Sakura blurted, concerned for her love's happiness.

The spirit looked surprised at the young pink haired girl. "Yes, the wish will stay." _This girl truly has a pure heart. She cares so much about her lover's happiness. _

"So you do still agree to these terms?" The spirit asked.

"Yes." Sakura responded, her voice full of determination.

"To make this agreement true I have to give you a mark. Like Orochimaru's bite but less painful. Hold out your left arm." The spirit instructed.

Sakura hesitantly held out her left arm out of curiosity. The spirit placed her hand on top of her arm at the wrist area. When the spirit pulled her arm back there was a mark on top of Sakura's wrist. It had a red heart with a crown of thorns. There was also a sword slashed through the heart. Sakura turned her head up to ask something about the mark only to find herself alone.

Sakura 's eyelids grew heavy. Before she knew it she had fallen forward into her bed and fallen into a deep sleep.

---***---

YAY I MADE ANOTHER STORY!!!! I'm so happy that I had time to do it. I had to think a while to come up with something. Well….. Uh….. RAMEN RULEZ FOREVER!!!


	2. Day One: Sasori

Day One

Sakura woke up to find sunlight flooding into her room. She rubbed her eyes to rid herself of her sleepiness. She opened her emerald eyes. _Was that a dream?_ Sakura wondered. She stared down at her wrist. There the mark resided. It looked so...mysterious. But she then thought of her problem. _Sasuke has to tell me he loves me in a week!!! Well, that doesn't matter as long as he's happy. _Sakura thought although a little sadly.

Sakura got up and went to her bathroom. She brushed her teeth and took a shower. The hot water was soothing. It took her mind off her problems, just for a while thought. Once she was done she took the towel and wrapped it around herself. Her stomach let out a strong growl. So she went into her kitchen and grabbed a ripened banana. She ate it until…

---***---Hokage's Tower

"What do you want, dobe?" Sasuke asked the Hokage.

"Even when I'm Hokage I'm still called dobe eh, teme?" Naruto said, smiling. "Anyway you have a mission with Sakura-chan. So get Sakura-chan right now."

"Hn."

Sasuke performed a few hand signs and then turned disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto smirked. "I wonder how long it will be until he falls for Sakura-chan." He chuckled.

---***--- Back To Sakura's Apartment

Sasuke reappeared in Sakura's apartment in another puff of smoke and looked around. She wasn't in the living room. He went into the kitchen with his hands in his pockets.

"Oi! Sakura! We have a mi-" He stared at her. She was in a towel….eating a banana, staring back at him. Her emerald orbs were widened in bewilderment.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Uhhhh…" Sasuke's face turned pale white and his expression was blank. He had a nosebleed and he looked like he was going to pass out.

"Please. Just go change. We have a mission." Sasuke forced the words out of his mouth.

"Gomen." She bowed her head in respect and ran off to her bedroom, leaving Sasuke all alone in her kitchen.

Once Sakura reached her bedroom she gently closed the door and sat down on her bed. _So he really is back. _She grinned. _I'm so happy to see him. But then…I'm the only one who knows about the wish. Well it's worth it. He's grown…._

Then Sakura remembered about the mission, so she went through her drawers for her ninja clothes. She adjusted her Konoha headband to make it was just right.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and ever so slowly walked outside. Sasuke was still there, breathing deeply. "Let's go Sasuke-kun!" Sakura grinned. Sasuke nodded his head in agreement. They both performed a few hand signs and disappeared.

---***--- Hokage's Office

Puffs of smoke appeared right in front of Naruto's desk.

(A/N Dang there are a lot of puffs of smoke.)

"You wanted me, Naruto?" Sakura said.

"Ah, Sakura-chan! You have a mission with Sasuke-teme over here." Naruto grinned his pearly white teeth showing.

"Just explain the mission dobe." Sasuke said, his voice empty of any emotion.

"Fine… OK your village is to send this **important** scroll to the Village in the Sand and give it to Gaara who is now the Kazekage."

"What's so important about it?" Sakura asked.

"This document contains secrets about the entire Fire Country. If an enemy village gets it we're all done for. This mission already guarantees ninjas that will not hesitate to kill you." Naruto said, quietly. "So you better be careful during this mission." He handed Sakura the scroll.

"Hn." Well you should know who that is.

"Hai." Sakura said.

"Leave now. Dismissed!"

---***--- Konoha Gates

The sun was still up in the sky, showing off its brightness to the people of Konoha. Sakura and Sasuke just arrived and headed out, jumping through the trees as a way of hiding from the enemy. They journeyed in a companionable silence. The two shinobi traveled at top speed, leaping from tree branch to tree branch. Since they were jounin it didn't take them long to reach the border of the Fire Country. The silence made Sakura think back of the old days when Team 7 were all genins. Now look at them. They were now Leaf ninja with powerful skills.

They were half way from their destination when Sasuke finally broke the silence, "We should make camp here." Sakura looked at where his eyes were staring at. They were now in the forest and between two trees stood barely enough space for two tents. Sakura nodded her head in agreement. The two Konoha ninja leaped down without a sound. Sakura pitched the two tents while Sasuke took complete charge of the fire.

Sakura finished quickly and sat next to Sasuke who was staring at the campfire. Night settled all around them. Sakura gingerly took her gloves off and warmed her hands. Sasuke casually looked over to her, but then saw her mark.

"Sakura, what's that?"

Sakura looked up, startled. She followed his gaze to her left arm where the mark resided. Her eyes widened and hid her arm behind her back quickly. "Uh….nothing." She stuttered.

"Come on, Sakura. Just let me see. I'm not going to blab it all over the village like Naruto." Sasuke said, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"It was um…a bruise I got when I was training with Lee." Sakura said, her eyes averted.

"Come on Sakura I know that you're lying." Sasuke said, staring at her intently.

"Oh, it's getting dark out I should be hunting something for both of us to eat." Sakura said, trying to avoid the subject.

Sasuke grabbed her wrist. Sakura tried to look as if this wasn't a big deal. He turned her wrist slightly to look at the mark. It was a red heart? With a crown of thorns and a sword slashed through it. The beating of his heart stopped. How come _he_ felt responsible for this?

"Sakura…what happened?"

"It was a tattoo." Sakura said, her voice wavering.

"You're not the type to get a tattoo." Sasuke stated, firmly.

"What you don't think I'm tough enough?" Sakura pouted teasingly.

Sasuke smirked. She looked so childish. "Stop goofing around and tell me!"

Whoosh.

Sakura pushed Sasuke aside and took the hit. Sasuke widened his eyes as he landed on the soft grass. Sakura took the bloody kunai out of her shoulder and threw it to a nearby tree. "Come out. Aren't you going to get your kunai back?"

"Very well." A figure stepped out of the black shadows and into the small light of the fire.

"Sasori?" Sakura asked, dumbfounded.

"How do you know my name?" The Akatsuki member demanded.

Sakura backtracked her thoughts. Didn't she kill Sasori with Chiyo? But when she granted her wish her past was erased so Sasori was still alive. Who knew? All she had to do was kill him again. Not that big of a deal.

"Like I would tell scum like you." Sakura said, putting her gloves back on.

"Didn't your mother teach you manners?" Sasori asked in annoyance.

"Didn't you mother tell you to always be on your guard?" Sasuke's voice said from behind him. Bird. Boar Dog. Dragon. Ox. Tiger. Serpent. Rat. Horse. Monkey. Hare. Ram. PHOENIX FIRE JUTSU!!

"Come on brat. I'm not that weak." Sasori said side stepping the fireball jutsu (matrix style ^.^). This guy was powerful no doubt. But Sasuke and Sakura were powerful jounin too and can go over any obstacle in their way.

"What the-?" Sasori stuttered. Sasuke was dumb struck His face looked like this 0.o. Who did this to Sasori? Konoha's cherry blossom that's who! At that time when Sasori was distracted Sakura took the liberty of having a chakra empowered fist come in contact with Sasori's cheek. Sasori fell to the ground, his cheek swollen, turning odd shades of purple.

_When did she do that? _Sasuke asked himself. Sasori slowly got up and felt his left cheek. A big fist sized hole was there. Sakura lowered her eyes and smirked.

"Don't worry I already know your little secret, Sasori." She said his name with venom and disgust.

Sasori looked up in surprise. "No one has discovered my secret. Not even my students. You must be weak though."

Sakura's eyes darkened, her animal instinct kicking in. She bit her lip until it bled. "You're a freakin' idiot for calling me weak. I hope you're prepared to die." She said, her body shaking with anger.

Sasori however looked amused. "You have guts kid, I'll give ya that."

"Go die already." Sakura whispered behind him. The Akatsuki member shuddered. Never had he felt such…intimidation before. He really didn't like where this was going. _This kunoichi is strong. A little too strong if you ask me. _Sasori thought.

"Hmph. I finally found a worthy opponent after all these years." Sasori grinned. This girl was strong. She was perfect.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked.

"Why haven't you attacked me, hm? You're standing still, giving me an opportunity to kill you." Sasori said, his voice full of superiority.

Unfortunately, it was true. Why didn't she? Sakura tried her best to move her muscles at least an inch but to no prevail. She ransacked her brain for any information that could explain what was happening. At the beginning Sasori aimed a kunai when Sasuke and Sakura were distracted. Wait. Pause. Stop. Think about it. Why would he use a kunai? He could attack directly when they weren't paying any attention and kill them. Plus the kunai wasn't aimed at any vital organ. There must be one solution. It was poisoned. The goal of the kunai wasn't to hurt the person then put just to come in contact with the victim's skin. Then the poison could spread. (No wonder she's a genius.)

Sasori grinned in triumph. "You're a valuable prize. You'll be a fine puppet. So what's your skills? Ninjutsu? Taijutsu? Genjutsu? Or are you a medical ninja? That would be handy. Anyway you're my brand new puppet. You should be honored. I haven't found a good puppet since I fought one of the Kazekages of the Sand."

_I'm not dying here now. Not when I trained so hard just to prove to everyone that I am a powerful ninja. I'M NOT GIVING UP! _Sakura thought. Concentrate. I could evaporate the poison in my body if I could circulate the chakra in my body.

In the shadows an Uchiha was standing, his Sharingan activated. How come he felt like the weak one here? It reminded him of how he always said Sakura was annoying and weaker than Naruto. Like how Naruto and him always were the one who fought during missions and Sakura was the one, well, watching. He understood what Sakura was going through when she was a genin. He didn't really help either. His insults: _You're annoying. You're weaker than Naruto._

But now Sakura was strong. Heck, that was why she was a jounin. He was at the sidelines while she was the one fighting. He felt so…vulnerable. Sasuke…can't believe he was thinking this but he felt _admiration_ for Sakura. There he said it.

But he wasn't going to stand at the sidelines all day.

Sasuke readied himself.

He was starting to like Sakura.

But he won't admit it any time soon.

---***---

^.^

Yeah, that's all I got to say.


	3. Day One: Secret Plot?

_This is bad. _Sakura thought. The healing would take some time, and apparently time wasn't on her side. "What's your reason for coming?" Sakura questioned, Sasori.

"The leader told me to come after some ninjas because they have a useful scroll. So where is it?" The Akatsuki member was slowly making his way toward Sakura. Sakura spat on the ground in front of him.

"That's not how you respect your new master." Sasori smirked. "I might have to teach my new doll how to behave."

A black flash appeared between Sasori and Sakura. Sakura looked up. There he was. Standing in front of her as if he were her guardian angel. "Sakura, it's alright." It brought the memory of Team 7's first mission. The two rogue ninjas were heading toward Sakura to get to the bridge builder. At that exact moment Sasuke appeared in front of her and protected her. Sakura smiled. But right now she had a job to do and it was no time for reminiscing. Her chakra was flowing through her in order to eliminate the poison.

But before returning to her job she whispered, "Arigato, Sasuke-kun."

---***---

Sasuke heard the hushed words that came from Sakura's mouth and smiled a genuine smile. Not a smile of superiority. Not any other smile that ticked people off. But a pure smile that was like Sakura's.

He already had something worth fighting for. The Akatsuki member didn't look impressed. "Big whoop. You stand between my new doll and me. Do you actually think that you can defeat me?"

"Oh I already know that I'm going to kill you." Sasuke said, his eyes red with the Sharingan.

He looked clearly at his enemy. This guy wasn't really that big of a threat when you had the Sharingan. Sasori could be defeated by crushing his chakra point, where the chakra flows through. Only then could he be killed. But Sasuke needed help, so he needed to stall the Akatsuki member for a few moments until Sakura was healed.

"Demonic Black Dragon Jutsu!" Black dragons made of demonic snow came out from behind Sasuke and attacked the victim. "Phoenix Fire Jutsu!" Fire in the form of phoenixes launched after the dragons and encircled them, making an unstoppable combo. (CHA!)

"I can always defend myself against that, brat" Sasori spat out. Sasori meant to move but found that he couldn't. "W-what did you do?" He asked, his voice holding a tint of fear. Sasuke smirked.

In his hands were the ninja wires. The black wires that ninjas used to gather a corpse during a mission or capture the enemy with. The puppet master grinned. "Oh, just ninja wires. In that case I can easily cut through these." Sasori slowly got a kunai out of his holster and cut through the wires. The funny thing was…the wires didn't cut. "WHAT?!" The puppet master screamed out in frustration.

"These wires are infused with my chakra. They won't cut unless I do it myself." Sasuke explained, cleverly.

Sasuke's attack came closer until it hit Sasori with full force. Chakra leaked out of the puppet master and exploded. Sasuke released the wires and Sasori knelt to the ground, panting hard. Sakura was watching the whole thing. She had to admit she was impressed. She could feel her muscles begin the move again, and smiled.

Only a few more seconds and she could finally help Sasuke.

---***---

Sasori stood up, his whole body shaking. His breathing was rugged and his face drained of any color that used to be there. His calm eyes were turned to ones of complete alarm. "I should be happy. I found another puppet of use."

"Don't you dare call us puppets like we're worthless beings." Sakura's strong voice echoed through the forest. Sasuke smiled. It's about time. Sakura stepped beside him, her whole body surrounded by a green chakra.

Sasori's eyes widened. These ninjas were out of his league. He couldn't defend himself against one but now two? This information may be of use for the leader.

"You win this time. But next time I will kill you both." Sasori said, and did a simple seal. Purple smoke billowed from where he was. When the smoke finally cleared, the puppet master was now where to be found.

"DANG IT! HE GOT AWAY!" Sakura yelled out in frustration.

Sasuke just smirked. _She looks cute when she's mad. _He thought. Whoa. Pause. Rewind. Did he just comment a girl? On how cute she looked? Blah. Then his mind went back to some thought that was still stuck in his brain.

"Hey, Sakura."

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

"What's with the mark?"

"OH COME ON! WE JUST FOUGHT WITH AN AKATSUKI MEMBER AND ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IS THE MARK??!" Sakura shouted.

"Well, it's just a simple question." The Uchiha reasoned.

"Please Sasuke. I can't tell you. It will…..ruin everything." Sakura said, her voice hushed and her face serene.

"Hn."

"Well since you're back to your old self, I guess I'll go catch us something to eat." Sakura said, instantly perking up. She started to walk toward the dark forest until she heard Sasuke's voice.

"Be careful."

She smiled although Sasuke couldn't see it. "I will." She said, then left.

---***---

While Sakura was gone for a few moments, Sasuke had time to organize his scattered thoughts.

Was he really starting to fall in love with her?

How come he actually felt admiration for her?

Why did he want to protect her?

But the most important question formed inside his brain.

What's with the mark?

The mark that sent chills down his spine. The mark that made his heart sink.

I see her differently now. I find her loyal, strong, and confident. I probably just like her as a friend. Yeah, that's it. A teammate. A comrade. A trustworthy friend in the time of need. That's it. I'm not falling for her.

He thought this in his mind.

---***---

About half an hour later Sakura came back with five well-sized fish. She grilled them over the fire and handed the three bigger ones to Sasuke. Sasuke didn't complain, after all he did use two extremely powerful jutsus that required a lot of chakra.

It was dark and the stars came out to bedazzle the dark sky. The two managed to squeeze some training time in before they fell down exhausted.

"I'll take first watch." Sakura offered.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked, thinking again of Sasori.

"I'll be fine. I'll live. Now go rest." Sakura insisted and forced Sasuke to go into his tent.

Using her time wisely she trained some more and propped her back against a tree. She looked up at the sky. It was beautiful. The stars twinkled and dazzled.

"Why can't I tell him about the mark?" She asked the stars. Then, right before her eyes the stars connected and the image of the spirit came.

"One thing will always lead to another. If you tell him about the mark, you'll wind up telling him about our little deal and the truth is out. If this happens you'll become a spirit earlier than planned."

"Like Sasuke-kun would tell me that he loves me." Sakura smiled, sadly.

The spirit looked down at the girl with sympathy. This girl had a strong heart.

"Obstacles cloud your future. And these obstacles are dangerous." She said.

Sakura groaned while the spirit chuckled. "Remember the mark stays a secret. Good luck." And with the final words spoken the spirit disintegrated, leaving the stars all alone.

Sakura stood still for a few moments, but then her eyelids grew heavy. She tried to resist the temptation to fall asleep, but to no avail.

The last thing she felt before she went to sleep was a warm blanket covering her cold body. Then the rest was history.

---***---Someone's Secret Base

"You failed to retrieve the scroll, Sasori?" The leader's voice thundered the room, causing the Akatsuki members to shudder.

"I admit that I did fail the mission, however I did come up with beneficial information."

"Go on."

"I came upon the two ninjas who were in charge of guarding the scroll. Konoha ninja. One kunoichi was very powerful and I planned to kill her so I may use her as a new doll. Another was an Uchiha. Both were very powerful jounin that…"

"That?"

"Could've killed me."

The leader froze.

"I think they are strong enough for our plan." Sasori said, quietly.

"The plan that we have been working on?" The Pain questioned.

"Hai."

Pain sat back in his chair, his face showing that his mind was working. His face cracked a wicked smile, one of mischief.

"Well I'll have Kakuzu go with you to see just how skilled these ninja are." The leader said. "Go and track these two shinobi. Dismissed."

"Hai." Sasori and Kakuzu vanished in thin air.

_Whoever these two ninjas are, they may be the key to Akatsuki's goal. _Pain thought.

---***---

Hello people of fandom.

REVIEW PLZ!


	4. Day Two: Growing Feelings

Day Two

Sakura woke up to find sun light shining down on her angel like face. She woke up, her eyes staring groggily at her blanket. Then the realization finally processed to her brain, and she started to think. How? Who?

"You're finally awake." She raised her head to find Sasuke's face merely inches from hers. Her face turned beet red. Sasuke smirked. She looked cute when she was embarrassed. That would be a good thing to know later on.

"G-g-g-good morning, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, finally finding the nerve to speak. "Where did the blanket come from?"

At this said his ears turned a bright shade of red. Sakura grinned mischievously. She had the IQ that was equivalent to Shikamaru's. Certainly, the Hokage's apprentice wasn't stupid.

"Oh, so it was you, Sasuke-kun?"

"Uh…" His eyes looked around, trying to find something to advert their attention to. Sakura could see a light bulb brighten up in his head. "We should be heading toward the Village Hidden in the Sand." Sasuke's voice held relief, Sakura noticed.

---***---

Swoosh.

The two Konoha ninjas had just reached the desert. Lucky for them, there wasn't a sandstorm in sight. But they were melting in the sun. After many long hours of dodging enemies or killing a few rogue ninjas that were planning to ambush them they finally stopped in a nearby cave.

After they were down turning the cave into their temporary campsite, Sasuke went out to set traps around the area. Sakura was tending to the fire.

Sasuke came back, some dirt clung to his clothes, but he looked fine. He promptly went to the fire to warm himself. Sakura came out of her tent with a few rice balls in her hand. She tossed a few to Sasuke and sat next to him. The silence was a little awkward. Well, in Sakura's point of view. Every time she looked up at the Uchiha she saw his dark black eyes staring into her eyes. This made her blush and look away.

Sasuke couldn't help but look at Sakura. He didn't see her annoying. He didn't see her weak. He saw her as a powerful kunoichi that he could trust his life with. Then he kept seeing his weird bright light surrounding her. Her pink hair majestic and he resisted the urge to play with it. And of course her eyes. Those gentle emerald eyes. When Sakura turned around to find Sasuke staring at her, a blush crept across her face. Sasuke didn't smirk thought. He thought it made her look….cute. _Whoa. Wait a minute. Since when did I find Sakura this beautiful and charming? Since when did I have this urge to play with her hair? Am I…falling for her? Nah. Trick of the light. Or…I used too much chakra?_

Sasuke shook his head as if that would rid himself of these strange thoughts. He excused himself a little earlier than usual, and cuddled up in his sleeping bag while Sakura took the first shift of guarding the campsite.

---***--- Deep In The Shadows

"They look capable for the plan. Should we capture them now?" Sasori asked his fellow Akatsuki member.

"I say we search for information regarding these two. But I can tell they have a lot of chakra." Kakuzu replied.

"We're heading to Konoha to steal the information?" Sasori asked, his face free of any emotion that he felt earlier.

"Yeah. We better hurry. Leader-sama wants us the plan to go unnoticed. Plus Konoha's guards are rising above the usual standards."

The two suspicious ninja headed for the village of Konoha, trying to find information for the two ninjas known as Sasuke and Sakura.

---***---

Review PLEASE!!!


	5. Day Two: The Disturbing Dream

Day Three

Sakura was in the middle of a dream…no more of a nightmare. She dreamt that she was in pitch black, nothing but empty space. She was floating in midair with no support. She didn't find that too joyful. Sakura surveyed her surroundings, trying to see what was happening. Her body froze. Him. Her number one person. Sasuke.

He was a few yards away from her, his clothes tattered to shreds, and some spots of dried blood stuck to him. He smiled, tiredly making his slow march toward her. Then out of the black, sinister shadows came Kakuzu. His eyes were red, with that savage wild man look in them. He had a sword readied in his hand, Sasuke a few inches from him. Sakura cried out, but couldn't. She tried using her voice but found it was gone. She tried to move from her spot, but it was like gravity weighing down on her with all its might. Sakura trembled for the fear of losing her loved one. He could see his face, not noticing what was right behind him. Kakuzu lowered his sword, like a hunter trying to gain its quarry.

"SASUKE-KUN, WATCH OUT!!!!!" Sakura's voice sprang out, her body upright in her sleeping bag. She was sweating, from the horror that was in her dream…correction nightmare.

"Sakura?" Sasuke's deep voice rang in her ears. She turned her head slightly, almost not believing the truth before her. There her teammate was, perfectly fine. Not bathed in blood, or almost facing death.

She sprang towards him, embracing him. Sasuke widened his eyes. _Um, did I miss something? _He thought. He looked down at the suddenly fragile girl in his arms. Sasuke pulled her closer to him, trying to comfort her the best as he could. They stayed like that for a few minutes, silently. Then Sakura parted from him, her eyes looked frozen from fear.

"What happened, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, his voice in that serious tone of his.

"Uh, I'd rather not talk about it." Sakura said, her body still stiff.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad was it?"

"I saw you die."

Awkward silence.

Sasuke froze. He didn't expect that answer. He….was going to die? That didn't really sound good. Wait…she freaked out all because he was going to die? Did she really care about him? Well he already knew the answer to that.

She loved him, but didn't show it any more because she grew more mature. And ever since she became Tsunade's apprentice she didn't act that way anymore. He had to admit that he missed all the attention that Sakura gave him, but now he found that he actually cared for her. **But**, he still wasn't going to admit it. (-.-)

"Sakura, we should finish the mission."

Sakura nodded her head in agreement and began gathering her things. Sasuke had already packed and was just staring out into the desert. Once Sakura finished they descended into the hot sand, and ran off into the hot desert.

---***---

Knock. "Kazekage-sama, you have visitors. Should I let them in?"

"Yes."

Gaara was doing the usual paper work. When he looked up, he saw two Konoha ninjas. One ninja had an emotionless face. Typical. It was the Uchiha. The other was smiling at him, though he could see pain in her eyes. Sakura-san?

"Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura Haruno. What brings you here?" He said, his voice friendlier now.

"We brought you the scroll, Gaara-san." Sakura said, holding out the brightly colored scroll to him. He gingerly took it, and opened it quickly. The black ink spread out through the paper and Gaara took his time reading it. His facial expression didn't change though you could tell his eyes were alarmed. He carefully folded the scroll back and then looked up at the two ninjas.

"Thank you for bringing the scroll here," Gaara said. "You better be getting back to your village by now."

Sakura's expression turned to a confused one. Sasuke just stood still, like an unmoving rock. Gaara sighed. So much work involved in protecting people he loved.

"Naruto says that the Akatsuki are on the move, so you better get back to your village safely before any trouble begins. I bet he wants his two best friends beside him to defend the village." Gaara explained.

"Oh, yes Gaara-san. Best wishes for the your village!" Sakura smiled, cheerily. Sasuke just nodded his head and Gaara nodded back.

---***---

Two Akatsuki members are in Konoha's secret vault, full of its secrets and shinobi files.

"How are we going to find those files?!" Sasori complained. "Use your head. Use your chakra strings to open all the files, and see the pictures."

Sasori sighed. "Work always piles on me."

"Stop complaining and get to work." Kakuzu's voice bellowed.

"Hai. Hai."

---Half An Hour Later

"Finally, I'm done. My arms are sore!!!!! Anyway, aren't these the two ninjas?" Sasori handed Kakuzu the papers, with a bored expression on his face.

"Yep. No doubt. There's the pink haired one….and the Sharingan user. Let's see…..her name is Sakura Haruno and the other guy is Sasuke Uchiha. Both have many abilities. Sakura is the Hokage's apprentice. Uchiha had very high marks from when he was in the Academy."

"I don't want to hear about their whole life, let's just take them back to Leader-sama for his approval." Sasori said, snappishly.

"Fine. Let's go."

---***---

REVIEW! Pretty please with ______(your Naruto crush or fav Naruto guy) in a cute bunny costume on top? ^.^


	6. Day Three: Kidnapped

Day Four

---***---

Sasuke and Sakura were already out of the desert, not wanting to waste time to get back to Konoha or run into unnecessary trouble. They've been running through the forest for about five hours and were taking a quick rest.

---***--- Unknown Location

"I see," Pain said, while shifting through the files. "Since these two are obviously powerful enough for the plan, capture them quickly."

"Hai." Kakuzu and Sasori said, then disappeared into the shadows.

---***---

Sakura and Sasuke were on the move again, almost to Konoha's gates. Sasuke was behind Sakura to be her backup if there were any attacks. Sasuke just happened to noticed how tense Sakura looked. Her face looked like she was thinking about something…a delicate situation.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" A dark voice said, echoing from all around the two ninjas. Sakura and Sasuke stopped in their tracks. They, of course, got ready for battle. Sakura pulled her battle gloves on, while Sasuke activated his Sharingan.

"Well aren't you quick to act?" A different voice echoed out, the mock obvious in his voice.

"Just show yourself already!" Sakura said, extremely annoyed that they were being treated like little genin.

Two ninjas stepped out of the shadows. Both were wearing the Akatsuki cloaks. "Sasori…" Sakura growled.

Sasori smiled. "This time we're taking you with us."

Sakura's vein popped. Sasuke still stood emotionless. "We don't have any time for this nonsense." He said, taking out his katana.

"Don't underestimate us, boy." Kakuzu bellowed, his eyes getting redder by the minute.

"Why do I have to listen to an old man?" Sasuke asked.

"Cocky, arrogant boy." Kakuzu muttered under his breath.

"Will you just shut up already so we can capture them?" Sasori said. "I'll take the girl while you take on the boy."

Sakura heaved a dramatic sigh, and then took a fighting stance. Sasori just smirked, and shouted, "You can't fight me, girl. I had much more experience from you."

"Yeah, yeah. You turned yourself into a puppet and killed one of the most powerful Kazekages of the Sand. Can we just get on with this?" Sakura said, not wanting to go over the whole story yet again.

Sasori frowned. Nobody knew that secret except his comrades in the Akatsuki. If she already knew how he would battle capturing her won't be so easy…

Sasori slumped downward, his face on the tree branch. Sakura smirked. "Too slow." She said. Sasori suffered a blow from the stomach, thanks to Sakura. Sasori gave the kunoichi a death glare. He slowly rose up, and took a scroll from his pocket. He quickly opened it, and the Kazekage of the Sand puppet was summoned.

"This battle just got a little more interesting."

---***---Sasuke and Kakuzu

"Alright boy. Let's just get this over with." Kakuzu said, his eyes glaring at the young Uchiha.

"Aren't we a little overconfident today?" Sasuke mocked.

Kakuzu didn't say anything just kept glaring at Sasuke as if that would kill him right then and there. Sasuke however just ignored it and began to fight.

"Chidori Blade." He whispered, Kakuzu unable to hear his attack. With lightning speed Sasuke ran and pushed his katana into Kakuzu's heart. Kakuzu stared into space, in a trance, but he quickly came back to earth.

"Very good. You killed only one of my hearts though." Sasuke gracefully did a backflip back and landed on a tree branch.

"I guess I'll have to release my hearts to capture you." Kakuzu said, cracking his knuckles.

He did a hand sign and slowly four figures jumped out of his body. All of the creatures or so called "hearts" surrounded him, and attacked him all at once with fire, wind, water, and lightning jutsus. Sasuke however, smirked. "You underestimate me." He said out loud, his voice full of confidence.

Kakuzu grinned. "You didn't notice your surroundings?" 'Huh?' Sasuke looked around him and noticed the creatures were holding him down with some weird wire. Sasuke struggled but couldn't get out of the hold.

Kakuzu smiled, his smile none too friendly.

---***--- Sasori and Sakura…..

Sakura was agitated. No…agitated wasn't the word for it. She was way beyond agitated. Sasori started blabbering about how he defeated the Kazekage of the Sand and Sakura was sick and tired of it. She resisted the urge to take her kunai and plant it through her heart. Anyhow, since Sasori was distracted, Sakura took the change to break the puppet with one punch.

"HECK YEA!" She shouted.

She turned to see how Sasuke was doing, and found her smile faded from her face. He was trapped, his death apparent before her. Her nightmare passed before her eyes again. _I'm not gonna let that happen, _She thought. _Sasuke-kun is one of the people that I want to protect with my life! _

Since Sasori was still in shock, Sakura charged at Kakuzu with full force, and with her trusty chakra-filled fist at hand. Kakuzu, who didn't see her coming fell on the floor like a regular enemy would. Sakura ran to Sasuke and began slicing the wires of with her kunai. When she was done, she barely heard a mumbled, "Thanks."

"Did I heart something?" Sakura said, cheerfully. Not everyday an Uchiha says 'Thanks.'

"Thanks." He said this time.

Sakura smiled, "You're welcome."

While Sasuke was rubbing his wrists she saw Kakuzu walking behind him….just like in her nightmare. Right at the moment when he was going to hit Sasuke by surprise, Sakura pushed him out of the way. Sasuke in utter shock thudded to the ground while Sakura took the hit.

Kakuzu, already seeing his advantage used his wiring jutsu to capture Sakura. Sakura couldn't see much. The hit made her mind pretty dizzy right now. But she could make out the image of Sasuke. "Run." She whispered. _Kakuzu must've injected some poison in me. _Sakura thought.

Sasuke stood there, eyes wide with one emotion….fear. What could he do? Join Sakura's fate? Or run away like a coward? His heart was telling him to stay but his mind was telling him to get a move on. Sakura saw his hesitation and to urge him on she weakly threw a kunai at him. "I said go!"

Sasuke took one more glance at her than left. Sakura sighed. _He's safe. _She thought before passing out.

---***---

Once Sasuke was a few yards ahead Sasuke performed a few handsigns and poofed into Naruto's office. "Yo, teme! I see you guys completed your mission. Eh, where's Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke wouldn't meet his gaze. He couldn't. "She's been kidnapped." He replied, his voice deprived of its usual tone. Naruto's goofy grin turned upside down. "WHAT DID YOU DO TEME?" He said, standing up.

"We had just completed the mission when we were attacked by….Akatsuki." He replied.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP HER?" He asked, his voice rising.

"I was going to but……she told me to leave. She even threw a kunai at me to make sure that I leave."

"Well, we'll have to get he back, now won't we?"

---***---

YIPEE CHAPTER FINISHED . this one was long……………


	7. Day Four: Sasuke Turns Into A Baka

Day Four

Sakura woke up to find herself in a pitch black cave. She pulled herself together to a sitting position and rubbed her head. She took a look of her surroundings and found all the Akatsuki members staring down at her. _Hm, never was in this kind of situation before. _

"I see you woke up, Haruno-san." A weird red-haired guy was standing in front of her, his face had piercings all over.

Sakura stood up, "I know you are," She said. "You're a freakin' stalker!" All the other Akatsuki members sweat dropped while the leader had a vein pop on his head.

"Anyway, let's begin. He jumped into the air and landed on a stone finger. When Sakura turned around she found herself in the middle of two hands. (Think of when Gaara was captured and got taken to that creepy statue.)

"What are you doing," She asked, slowly getting up to a fighting stance. "And why would you kidnap me?"

"Now, now, we need your cooperation, Haruno-san." The leader said, trying to smile even though he was twitching from the anger of being called a stalker. To show her anger she…slapped Pein. **The leader of the Akatsuki. **Pein seemed stunned for a moment but then grinned.

"You're very feisty. Unlike any other prisoner who ever came here. They all became quiet from fear, yet you defy me. When I'm the person who decides whether you live or die." Pein leapt back on to his spot on a finger.

"Everyone focus your chakra into the stone so that the demons' power goes into the girl." He commanded.

Sakura's eyes widened. Demons. Demons were going to be a part of here. They were only using her as a toy, and a powerful toy.

Sakura was about to perform a jutsu to get herself out of this mess, when she felt something evil, flowing through her. She fell down, screaming in agony.

---***--- Hokage Tower

"You know you should be grateful that I'm allowing you on this mission," Naruto began. "I consider anybody who abandons their comrades scum."

Sasuke remained silent, staring down at the cold, hard floor. His shame clouding his face.

"And I thought that even you would obey that one ninja rule. I guess I was wrong." Naruto said, sighing.

"Shut up. I regret what I did. But those Akatsuki didn't want to kill us because they were in their way. No. They came at us for a reason. If the two of got caught, we would most likely be hostages right now." Sasuke explained, his black eyes showing sorrow.

"You can get a chance to redeem yourself during this rescue mission. Bring Ino for medical assistance, Neji because of his Byakugan, Kiba to find Sakura-chan, and Lee for…..motivational support, and TenTen for her weapons." Naruto said, struggling to find a reason that Lee needed to be on the team. "Bring them here so they know what their part is in the mission."

---***---During The Mission…..

Everyone was silently following Kiba and Akamaru through the forest, to search for the now missing Sakura. Everyone was silent of course because of their missing friend that might possibly, be dead.

The silence continued, no one daring to talk. For once, Sasuke hated the silence, especially when there was Ino on the mission. She would usually start talking right away, nonstop about something random.

Four hours pass, still the same silence hung in the air. Finally, Neji bravely said something. "There's strong people with huge amounts of chakra up ahead." It wasn't much, but at least he made an effort. Everyone stopped.

"So what's the plan to save the beloved Sakura!" Lee asked, trying to raise everyone's glum spirits' up.

---***---

"Itachi, erase her memories now." Pein commanded Itachi.

Itachi stood still, not moving, but he was straining his Mangekyou Sharingan. After a few awkward moments, he closed his eyes, and muttered, "Finished."

"Love your new power, Haruno-san?"

---***---

"We're here." Neji said, disrupting everyone's thoughts about their lost friend. Everyone stopped in front of a dark cave, filled with nothing but darkness. Then, footsteps echoed toward the ninjas. Everyone got into their fighting stance, ready for action.

Then, someone stepped out. (I'm so dramatic. ^.^) Sasuke's head felt dizzy. _What happened to you, Sakura?_

"Die, Uchiha."

---***---

DRAMATIC MUSIC. IT'S A CLIFFHANGER!

Review PLEASE.


	8. Day Four: Changed Sakura

Day Four

"Die, Uchiha."

Thanks to his quick reflexes Sasuke dodged just in time. He turned back to see a kunai go through a tree and then go right through a boulder. (0.o) Everyone gulped, well except Sakura of course. Sakura stepped into the broad sunlight, where everyone gasped.

She wasn't the Sakura they knew. (-.-') Everyone felt the strong chakra radiating from her. She was transformed into many demons all at once. The first one to regain from shock was Ino, "Sakura! Don't you remember me? Your best friend?"

Sakura responded by moving her gigantic sand arm (from Shukaku) and slammed Ino into a tree. From Shukaku's force, Ino slumped down from the tree, unconscious. A figure came out of the shadows with a malicious smile on his face. He petted Sakura on the head, and she stood in front of him like a royal pet.

"I see you met Akatsuki's new weapon." Pein said, nonchalantly.

"What did you do to, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, his voice shaking with anger or fear maybe both.

"Just transform Sakura into the most powerful person on the planet." Pein said, still having that malicious grin stuck on his face.

"GIVE US SAKRA-CHAN BACK!!" Lee yelled, while running with full force at Pein. Pein though just smirked and stepped aside. Lee missed and ran into a tree.

"Lee, don't act without backup! This is the Akatsuki after all! Do you think we can just run up to them and kill them?" TenTen shouted after her fallen comrade.

"Why don't you all run away now while you have the chance? If you don't, that was your last chance of staying alive." Sakura snarled, the demon side taking over.

"Come Sakura, we have villages to destroy. Konoha first." Pein said, beckoning her toward the dark cave again. Sakura reluctantly followed and the cave closed behind them. Not leaving any trace that they had been there. Lee had tried to destroy the cave entrance but to no prevail. Ino woke up sometime later, and she immediately started trying.

"How can we come back to the village? Forehead-chan is still out there with those freaks. Those freaks turned her into one of them."

"No. They sealed all the demons into her body. The human part of her couldn't control her own body so all the demons took over. This has been their plan all along hasn't it?" Neji said, his voice serious.

Everyone went silent all over again.

"What are we gonna do, Uchiha?" The Hyuuga finally asked.

Sasuke remained silent. Which made everyone else get angry. "WHAT? THE UCHIHA DOESN'T CARE ABOUT HIS COMRADE WHO SAVED HIS LIFE? YOU THINK YOU'RE SO GREAT UCHIHA?" TenTen shouted. Sakura was one of her best friends. When she heard the news, it felt like someone had poked her heart with a katana.

Sasuke still remained silent, his mind in thought. _Why do I care so much that Sakura is gone? Am I starting to like her? Now that I think about it, I want to see that pink hair so much with that wide smile on her face. I guess I really am falling for her. FALLING HARD. Great, now I realize it, but not when she's being kidnapped. I'm turning into dobe. I promise from now on to protect her with my life. I really should've realized this when Sakura was being kidnapped._

Sasuke stood up, showing how tall he was. "I'm going to save Sakura even if it's the last thing I do."

TenTen fell silent then her mood instantly changed. "AWW!!! EMO-SASUKE CARES FOR SAKURA-CHAN!!!" Everybody else except Neji joined in the teasing. Ino had wakened and was now healing her wounds.

"I hate to be the pessimist in the group, but we will need a plan to save Sakura-san." Neji said, breaking the laughing group's spirits for a while.

"Kiba, did you get Sakura's new scent?" Ino asked.

"Yup. But aren't we supposed to be more concerned about how they're gonna destroy Konoha? I think we have to go back to Naruto first and tell him so the villagers can be evacuated." Kiba said.

_I'm not going to abandon her again. _Sasuke thought.

"You guys should go take the shortcut. I'll try to stop the Akatsuki by the road and delay them." Sasuke said.

Ino gasped. "But, there are other members of the Akatsuki following them. Plus Sakura is even stronger than before with all those demons inside her. How are you going to survive? That's like committing suicide."

"I know you guys will bring backup just in time. And I promised I wasn't going to abandon Sakura again," Sasuke replied. "I would be a hypocrite to break my promise just after I made it. The fate of Konoha is now up to us."

Everyone said their quick good byes and departed.

---***---

Sasuke arrived just in time as the Akatsuki came, their heads tilted so you couldn't see any part of their face. Sakura though walked proudly with her head up, the demonic ignorance apparent on her face. Sasuke blocked the path with kage bunshin he made.

Pein raised his head an eyebrow arched. "Weren't you the brat we saw earlier? Anyway, get out of the way unless you don't want to live anymore."

"I'll gladly get out of the way if you hand Sakura over and retreat." Sasuke snarled.

"We're not going to have our plan fail when we came this close to tasting victory." Pein declared, though a little dramatically. Sakura was growling under her breath.

"Sakura, don't you recognize me? Uchiha Sasuke? You're teammate and comrade along with the useless idiot we call Naruto. Snap out of it!!" Sasuke said.

Sakura's head pulsed. Right now the demons were fighting against Inner Sakura. Sakura held her hands to her head, her migraine growing by the minute. Pein tsked. "You shouldn't have done that brat. If Haruno-san doesn't carry out her part of the plan, we'll make sure you die a slow death."

Sasuke sighed. If only someone was here who could seal the demon's power for just a bit so he could Sakura to Konoha's hospital. But to his misfortune there wasn't anyone but him. All the clones got into a defensive stance while the Akatsuki fought together to quickly carry out their plan for the destruction of Konoha. Thirty minutes passed yet the Sasuke clones were still standing panting heavily but standing.

The Akatsuki were still standing all thinking how much strength this Uchiha had. The real Sasuke however was hiding in the forest concealing his chakra. Why? So at the right moment he could knock Sakura out and carry her to Konoha's hospital once the reinforcements came.

Sakura was still sitting on the ground, panting heavily and holding her head as if the migraine would go away if she did that. Sasuke sighed. This was his chance. He moved with lightning speed and hit one of Sakura's pressure points. Then scooped her up bridal style and carried her back into the dark forest. None of the Akatsuki seemed to notice since they were still fighting Sasuke clones. Sasuke flinched. Maintaining this many clones was starting to tire him. He was lucky that these clones were still surviving. _Dobe, you better get the reinforcements here right now. _ He thought.

Two hours passed and Sasuke was on the verge of passing out. So far the Akatsuki had defeated his clones and he had to create new ones five times already. If he continued to use this much chakra, well, he knew the consequences. Just then heard footsteps. He turned and saw his comrades. Shikamaru wasn't there because he was planning with Naruto.

"S-S-S-S-S-Sasuke-san. We'll take things over from here. Please take Sakura-chan back to the village." Hinata said, taking the Hyuuga fighting position. (Sorry, don't know what it's called.)

Sasuke nodded and picked Sakura up. He pumped some chakra to his heels and headed for Konoha. He looked down at Sakura on his way. _Sakura, don't worry. I'll make sure you'll be ok. I'm not going to leave you again so you don't have to worry about getting kidnapped again. _

Sakura stirred a little bit in her sleep. Sasuke tightened his grip on her a little more. Just to make himself sure she wouldn't leave his life again. _When did I get so friggin' emotional?_

---***--- Konoha

Sasuke dropped Sakura off at the hospital and gave the nurses specific instructions to tie her down because of all the demons in her and maybe to keep her unconscious most of the time. Then he headed to Naruto's office.

He opened the door, not bothering to knock on it since this was a time of peril and time couldn't be wasted. "Sakura's at the hospital if you want to see her." He told Naruto while Shikamaru had an emotionless face.

Naruto sighed. "Shikamaru, could you leave us alone for a few moments?" Shikamaru nodded and left.

Naruto turned to Sasuke with a serious expression on his face. Then it suddenly turned into the good guy sparkling smile (Lee and Gai do it all the time). "Soooo……" His face turned to the face that persuaded Sasuke to join in the quest of finding what was under Kakashi's mask.

"Did you tell her you luuuuuvvv her yet?" Naruto said mischievously even though there was a HUGE crisis going on.

Sasuke blushed. Naruto chuckled. Then Sasuke had a vein pop out of his head. "HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? ARE YOU SOME SORT OF STALKER OR SOMETHING? AND HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO TELL HER I LOVE HER WHEN SHE'S POSSESSED BY FRIGGIN' DEMONS!!!"

Naruto pointed a accusing finger at Sasuke. "So you **do **admit that you love her!"

Sasuke hit his head on the wall…..hard. "It's a miracle the dobe became hokage." He muttered under his breath.

"Nani? Did you say something teme?" Naruto called, his voice sing-songy.

"Dobe, shouldn't you be more concerned about the crisis right now?" Sasuke suggested.

Naruto smiled. "I trust that everyone has destroyed the Akatsuki by now. But you go check on them. Just in case."

Sasuke sighed. Then quietly left.

---***--- Outside Of Konoha

He checked on his comrades to see that the fight was still going on. Though there was still one Akatsuki member he wanted to deal with. The Uchiha who was closing his eyes bored, while leaning against a tree, waiting for this pathetic little battle to be over.

"Itachi…." Sasuke growled.

"Hello, foolish little brother."

Sasuke readied his katana. He was going to end this once and for all.

---***--- Konoha Hospital

Sakura was deep in her inner mind. Inner Sakura was fighting against control over the many demons residing in her brain. Sakura flinched in her unconsciousness. A few thoughts hovered around his brain. _What happened to me? How am I going to reverse this? Is Sasuke-kun alright? What about the others? _

Sasuke's image appeared in her mind before she slipped off into a heavy sleep because of the potion the nurses gave her.

---***----

Another chapter done…….

Please rate!!! **imagine chibi Sasuke's puppy face**


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